The Dalai Lama: Tibet's spiritual leader, bane of Beijing
A thorn in China's side, Tenzin Gyatso became the face of the Tibetan cause as he crisscrossed the globe, mixing with royalty, politicians and celebrities.
With his famous beaming smile, the Dalai Lama has become a global symbol of peace whose message transcends religion. He is regarded by his many supporters as a visionary in the vein of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
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Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
China is quietly supplanting Russia as Cuba's main benefactor
Hours over rutted roads inland from Havana, the small Cuban city of Jatibonico is a snapshot of late 19th-century living, its streets crowded with horse-drawn carriages and lacking power much of the day and night. The town's decrepit sugar mill — once the country's largest — sits idle, lacking the parts, electricity and fuel it needs to operate. Two years ago a Russian company, Progress Agro, announced it would import machinery, fertilizer, and know-how to revitalize the mill, which once employed 2,000 people. "When are the (Russians) coming? That's all anybody talks about," said Carlos Tirado Pino, 58, a mill maintenance worker among the few to retain his post. Meanwhile, just outside town and out of sight, three bulldozers clear an abandoned cane field to prepare for the installation of a Chinese-financed solar park that will deliver 21 megawatts of electricity — one of 55 similarly sized such solar parks underwritten by China across Cuba this year. Cuba is in desperate need of help. Shortages of food, fuel and medicine, grueling hours-long blackouts and plunging tourism and exports — combined with renewed U.S. sanctions under the second Trump administration — have devastated its economy. A review of various sites on the ground suggests that where many of Russia's most recent promises have fizzled, China has discreetly stepped up to fill the void, pushing ahead with a number of critically timed projects aimed at helping Cuba salvage its economy. Cuba joined China's Belt and Road Initiative in 2018, and China has since invested in several strategic infrastructure projects on the island, including major projects in transportation, port infrastructure and telecoms, while Russia, mired in a war in Ukraine and leery of lending more money to crisis-racked Cuba, has faded as a historic partner. People ride bicycles in front of a cinema in downtown Jatibonico, Cuba, on May 21. | REUTERS "Russia's promises have always been bigger than its performance," said William LeoGrande, a professor of Latin American politics at American University. "If China is now stepping up its assistance in light of Cuba's desperate conditions, that could prove to be a real lifeline." Neither the Russian nor Chinese embassies in Havana responded to a request for comment. China delivers The solar park project positions China as a pivotal partner for Cuba at a time of nearly unprecedented crisis: the country's national grid has collapsed four times in the past year alone, leaving millions in the dark and shuttering schools and businesses. On February 21, Cuba inaugurated a solar park in Cotorro, outside the capital, in a ceremony that included China's ambassador to Havana, Hua Xin and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who lauded the project in a statement as a "collaboration from our sister Republic China." The fine print of the agreements between Russia and China and longtime ally Cuba remain largely confidential, making it difficult to discern how either country operates in Cuba, through private companies or via public financing and how the Cuban government might be repaying them. Since then, at least another eight have come online, according to grid operator UNE, churning out nearly 400 MW of sun-fueled energy together with existing parks — about a third of the mid-day deficit. A man walks near the 'Uruguay' sugar mill in Jatibonico, Cuba, on May 21. | REUTERS New Chinese-funded projects alone are expected to push that figure over 1,100 MW by the end of the year, according to official estimates, nearly covering the daytime shortfall and saving Cuba precious fuel to burn at night. Officials at the February event announced China was participating in a project to modernize Cuba's entire electrical grid, with 55 solar parks to be built in 2025, and another 37 by 2028, for a total of 2,000 MW — a massive undertaking that, when complete, would represent nearly two-thirds of present-day demand. The port of Mariel — Cuba's main shipping center just west of Havana — saw traffic from China begin to tick up in August of 2024, according to shipping data and two foreign businessmen who declined to give their names for this story. Ships arriving last year from Shanghai, Tianjin and other prominent Chinese ports carried solar panels, steel, tools and parts. The "kits" came complete with fuel for overland transport to assure the panels would make it to their destinations, the sources said. The arrival of Chinese ships is being felt across the Cuban countryside, as tractor trailers with Chinese markings rumble across pot-holed roads to reach far-flung destinations like Jatibonico. Truck driver Noel Gonzalez, who on a recent morning delivered a load of gravel fill to the solar park site on the city's outskirts, said he was both amazed and grateful for the Chinese diligence. "The Chinese (workers) come and periodically check every liter of petroleum, every route we take," Gonzalez said. Fulton Armstrong, a former U.S. National Intelligence Officer for Latin America, called China's investments a "big benefit" but warned they won't be enough to overcome the Trump administration's renewed sanctions on the island. People ride in a horse-drawn carriage in downtown Jatibonico, Cuba, on May 21. | REUTERS "Havana can't bank on either Russia or China coming in with magic pills," he said. "Only massive amounts of Chinese trade and assistance could pull the island through — and that just doesn't seem plausible." China's strategic investments in Cuba coincide with U.S. accusations that China is installing "spy bases' on the nearby Caribbean Island, though Cuba and China have denied the allegations. Russian roulette Two years ago, as Cuba's economy was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and U.S. sanctions, Russia too was ready to lend a hand. In May 2023, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko arrived in Cuba for a ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the reopening of the island's largest steel mill, a project made possible thanks to $100 million in Russian financing, Cuban state-run media reported. Chernyshenko called the mill's reopening a "fine example of Russian-Cuban cooperation." The mill's plant director, Reinier Guillén, promised output of steel bars from the facility would soar to 62,000 metric tons in 2024. But Russia's investment did not translate into production. Cuba's statistics agency ONEI reported in April that the island had churned out just 4,200 metric tons of steel bars in 2024. On a recent weekday morning, the mill was quiet. A prominent smoke stack was idle, and no activity could be seen within the plant. Esperanza Perez, a lifelong local resident who works at a small bakery in a ramshackle development of shanties and crudely-built homes, many without electricity or water, said the mill had sat idle for months. A train passes by the 'Uruguay' sugar mill in Jatibonico, Cuba, on May 21. | REUTERS "Talk is cheap. When (the mill) is running, we hear the noise, see the workers, but I haven't seen any sign that it is operating," said the 37-year-old Perez. "We've seen no benefits here." Cuba's government did not reply to a request for comment on the discrepancy in output. But fuel and electricity generation shortages have affected industry across the island, crippling production. The day after the ribbon-cutting at the steel mill, Chernyshenko appeared with Diaz-Canel to sign at least eight agreements between Cuban state agencies and Russian state and private companies, according to a document obtained by Reuters summarizing those deals. The wide-ranging agreements included a deal to guarantee Cuba a supply of wheat for bread making, the opening of a well-stocked "Rusmarket" in Havana, the restoration of historic architecture in the capital's historic district and cooperation in artificial intelligence. There was even a bold plan to rebuild the crumbling Tarara residential beach community, whose coveted white sands and palm-fringed waterfront just minutes from Havana have been largely off-limits to foreign capital since 1959. But on a recent visit, most of the homes at Tarara appeared abandoned or in disrepair, with only a small number near the beach refurbished and no sign of Russian investment. At the community marina, a single boat, its bottom covered with slime, swayed at the dock, the harbor's entrance blocked by sediments and its waters stagnant. Plans to open the Rusmarket — initially celebrated as a foot in the door for Russian vendors and products — have been delayed for two years. The nearby Yumuri department store, where Russian investors planned to open a bigger shop in June or July stocked with everything from Russian auto parts to canned trout and children's toys, also appeared largely abandoned. A Russian agreement to restore the 19th century Santo Angel building in Havana's historic Plaza Vieja, in a nod to Cuba's rich architectural history, also appeared stalled. CGC Investments, the Russian firm that had inked many of the 2023 deals, was unable to be reached. Neither the Russian embassy nor its Foreign Ministry responded to a request for comment. To be sure, some of Russia's promised aid has come through. Russian state-backed companies have supplied cargos by sea of both wheat and oil to the island. And Russia, like China, has promoted tourism to the island, offering a bump in foreign visitors and much-needed foreign exchange. In May, two years after the 2023 flurry of announcements, Russia's Chernyshenko announced a plan to subsidize interest rates for businesses interested in investing as much as $1 billion on the island, calling Cuba a "reliable partner." "There's still a lot of hard work to be done, we'll advance little by little,' Chernyshenko told reporters in Moscow, adding that "it is impossible to achieve things immediately, as if by magic.'
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
Beijing braces for U.S. trade deals that aim to shut out China
The trade truce between Washington and Beijing may be holding for now, but China is increasingly wary about what's happening elsewhere: U.S. efforts to forge deals that could isolate Chinese firms from global supply chains. Ahead of a July 9 deadline, U.S. officials are deep in talks with major trading partners in Asia and Europe, pushing for new agreements that would include restrictions on Chinese content, or secure commitments to counter what Washington sees as China's unfair trade practices. In the first such deal, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a tiered tariff agreement with Vietnam. Exports to the United States from the Southeast Asian nation will be charged a 20% rate, Trump said in a social media post, with 40% levied on any goods deemed to be transshipped through the country. That will hit products with components from China and possibly other nations, which are routed through Vietnam or subject to only minimal final assembly before being exported to the U.S. The approach mirrors provisions in an existing U.S. trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. Although Trump shared the broad contours of the agreement, the White House has not yet released further details, and some of the agreement could be in development, so it's unknown yet how damaging this could be for China's growing exports to Vietnam. China's Ministry of Commerce didn't respond immediately to a request for comment. India, another nation seen as close to a deal, has also been negotiating over "rules of origin.' Washington wants at least 60% of a product's value added locally to qualify as "Made in India' and benefit from the deal, it was previously reported. India has pushed to bring that down to around 35%, according to the report. "Asia's dilemma when it comes to Trump's trade war is all about dependence on U.S. final demand while relying heavily on China's value added in domestic production,' Alicia Garcia Herrero, Asia-Pacific chief economist at Natixis, said in a recent report, adding that Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan were among the most exposed. China, a larger trade partner than the U.S. for most Asian economies, has warned of consequences if its interests are threatened, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to raise that again on his visit to Europe this week for talks in Belgium, Germany and France. "China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of Chinese interests in exchange for so-called tariff reductions,' the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Saturday, repeating earlier warnings. "If this happens, China will never accept it and will resolutely counter it to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.' The Vietnam deal risks provoking retaliatory steps from China, according to Bloomberg Economics. "Beijing has made clear that it would respond to deals that came at the expense of Chinese interests and the decision to agree to a higher tariff on goods deemed to be 'transshipped' through Vietnam may fall in that category,' Bloomberg's Rana Sajedi wrote in a research note. Trump's 90-day pause on what he called "reciprocal' tariffs on dozens of America's trading partners ends on July 9. Unless those countries reach trade deals with the U.S., they could potentially face much higher tariffs. Some governments are making moves to stay on the right side of Washington. Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea have all put in place measures to stop goods from being rerouted through their countries to the U.S. since Trump's tariffs were unveiled in April. South Korean customs announced a crackdown on transshipments, citing a rise in the practice. Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te also flagged the issue and followed up with new rules requiring all U.S.-bound exports to carry a legal declaration they were made on the island. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Brussels on Wednesday | Bloomberg Another concern for Beijing is whether the U.S. could convince others to impose or tighten export controls on high-tech equipment, which would further hamper Chinese efforts to buy the tools it needs to produce advanced semiconductors. Taiwan in June added Huawei Technologies and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. to its so-called entity list, barring Taiwanese firms from doing business with them without government approval. The pressure isn't limited to Asia. Europe, too, finds itself in a delicate position. The EU is China's largest export destination for electric vehicles, and investment from Chinese firms into the bloc plus the U.K. hit €10 billion ($12 billion) last year, according to recent research from Rhodium Group. Yet trade tensions are rising. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently accused Beijing of "weaponizing' rare earths and magnets and warned of the risks posed by Chinese overcapacity. Beijing is particularly concerned that the EU might sign up to provisions similar to those in the U.K.'s deal with the U.S., which included commitments around supply chain security, export controls, and ownership rules in sectors like steel, aluminum and pharmaceuticals. While the language did not name China, Beijing criticized the agreement in a rare public statement, interpreting it as a direct challenge, the Financial Times reported. "China is clearly worried that the EU will accept the same wording as the U.K. did on export controls,' said Joerg Wuttke, a partner at the Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington and former president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. "They are pushing the EU not to do this, and the U.S. is pushing the EU to do it.' Brussels and Washington are aiming to reach some form of an agreement before July 9, when Washington is set to impose a 50% tariff on nearly all EU products. With European exports to the U.S. worth more than double the amount to China, the bloc sees Washington as the more important partner, giving the U.S. leverage in the talks. China's weekend statement is "obviously aimed entirely at Brussels,' said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy in Brussels, who was recently in Beijing for meetings ahead of an EU-China summit this month. "China is concerned what the EU might agree with the U.S.' The long-term risk for Beijing is that these efforts coalesce into a broader shift — not just a U.S.-led campaign to curb Chinese exports, but a reshaping of global trade around "trusted' supply chains, with China increasingly on the outside. In a visit to Southeast Asia earlier this year, Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged the region to stand together as an "Asian family,' warning against trade fragmentation. Beijing has often responded to actions it opposes with targeted trade measures. When the EU imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles last year, China launched antidumping probes into European brandy, dairy and pork. It halted Japanese seafood imports in 2023 after Group of Seven meetings in Japan were seen as critical of China. A spat with Australia in 2020 led to trade restrictions on billions of dollars' worth of goods, including lobsters, wine and barley. "If some agreements explicitly list China as a target and show that some countries are cooperating or collaborating with the U.S. to 'contain China,' then China will definitely respond,' said Tu Xinquan, dean of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing and a former adviser to the Chinese Commerce Ministry.
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Indian Minister Backs Dalai Lama's Position on Successor, Contradicting China
DHARAMSHALA, India, July 4 (Reuters) – A senior Indian minister has said that only the Dalai Lama and the organization he has set up have the authority to identify his successor as the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism, in a rare comment contradicting rival China's long-held position. The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said on Wednesday that upon his death he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader and that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust would be able to identify his successor. He previously said the person would be born outside China. Beijing says it has the right to approve the Dalai Lama's successor as a legacy from imperial times. Kiren Rijiju, India's minister of parliamentary and minority affairs, made a rare statement on the matter on Thursday, ahead of visiting the Dalai Lama's base in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala for the religious leader's 90th birthday on Sunday. 'No one has the right to interfere or decide who the successor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be,' Indian media quoted Rijiju as telling reporters. 'Only he or his institution has the authority to make that decision. His followers believe that deeply. It's important for disciples across the world that he decides his succession.' Rijiju, a practicing Buddhist, will be joined by other Indian officials at the birthday celebrations. In response to the remarks, China's foreign ministry warned India on Friday against interfering in its domestic affairs at the expense of bilateral relations, urging it to be prudent in its words and actions. 'We hope the Indian side will fully understand the highly sensitive nature of Tibet-related issues, recognize the anti-China separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama,' spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press conference. In a statement issued late on Friday afternoon, India's foreign ministry said the country does not take any position or speak on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion. 'Government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so,' foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in the statement. India is estimated to be home to tens of thousands of Tibetan Buddhists who are free to study and work there. Many Indians revere the Dalai Lama, and international relations experts say his presence in India gives New Delhi a measure of leverage with China. Relations between India and China nosedived after a deadly border clash in 2020 but are slowly improving now.
